Child stroller apparatus

ABSTRACT

A child stroller apparatus includes a stroller frame, and a stroller seat supportable by the stroller frame. The stroller seat includes a backrest portion fixedly connected with a first joining part, a seat portion fixedly connected with a second joining part that is pivotally connected with the first joining part, a coupling part pivotally connected with the second joining part and adapted to connect with the stroller frame, a latch movable between a locking position engaged with the coupling part and an unlocking position disengaged from the coupling part, and a linking mechanism configured to movably couple the latch to the first joining part so that a rotation of the backrest portion in a folding direction causes the latch to disengage from the coupling part, and a rotation of the backrest portion in an unfolding direction causes the latch to engage with the coupling part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to Chinese patent application no.201910086654.3 filed on Jan. 29, 2019.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to child stroller apparatuses.

2. Description of the Related Art

A child stroller apparatus generally includes a stroller frame, and aseat including a seat portion and a backrest portion. When the childstroller apparatus is to be stored or transported, the stroller frameusually can be collapsed into a compact form with the seat folding alongwith the stroller frame. However, it may be desirable in certainsituation to fold only the seat whereas the stroller frame is kept in anunfolded state, which cannot be achieved with the aforementioned childstroller apparatus.

Moreover, some existing child stroller apparatuses may have the abilityto change the orientation of the seat on the stroller frame, but has anoverall folded size that is different depending on whether the seat isinstalled in a forward facing position or a rearward facing position. Asa result, a caregiver would need to place the seat in the correctposition before folding the child stroller apparatus to obtain a smallerfolded size, which may be cumbersome and not desirable.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved child stroller apparatus thatcan be more flexible in use and address at least the foregoing issues.

SUMMARY

The present application describes a child stroller apparatus including astroller frame, and a stroller seat supportable by the stroller frame.The stroller seat includes a backrest portion fixedly connected with afirst joining part, a seat portion fixedly connected with a secondjoining part that is pivotally connected with the first joining part, acoupling part pivotally connected with the second joining part, thecoupling part being adapted to connect with the stroller frame, a latchcarried with the second joining part and movable between a lockingposition where the latch is engaged with the coupling part to preventrotation of the seat portion relative to the coupling part, and anunlocking position where the latch is disengaged from the coupling partfor rotation of the seat portion relative to the coupling part, and alinking mechanism configured to movably couple the latch to the firstjoining part so that a rotation of the backrest portion relative to theseat portion in a folding direction causes the latch to disengage fromthe coupling part, and a rotation of the backrest portion relative tothe seat portion in an unfolding direction causes the latch to engagewith the coupling part.

Advantages of the child stroller apparatus provided herein include theability to offer more flexibility by allowing folding and collapsing ofa stroller seat to a compact form while the stroller frame supportingthe stroller seat remains in an unfolded state. Moreover, the strollerseat can have a collapse configuration relative to the coupling partthat can similarly offer a compact form for storage and transport whenthe stroller seat is installed in a forward facing position or arearward facing position on the stroller frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a childstroller apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a stroller seat provided inthe child stroller apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the stroller seat of FIG. 2omitting a coupling part used for coupling the stroller seat to thestroller frame;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of portion A shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along cross-section K shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portion B shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the coupling part provided inthe stroller seat;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating some construction details ofthe stroller seat;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of portion C shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating further construction detailsof the stroller seat;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of portion D shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a linkingmechanism that movably couples a backrest portion of the stroller seatto a latch used for locking a seat portion of the stroller seat to thecoupling part;

FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating further construction details of thestroller seat;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of portion E shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating the stroller seat in a recumbentconfiguration;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of portion F shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side view illustrating the stroller seat in a sittingconfiguration;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of portion G shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating the stroller seat in a foldedconfiguration; and

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of portion H shown in FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a childstroller apparatus 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the child strollerapparatus 100 includes a stroller frame 10, and a stroller seat 20supportable by the stroller frame 10. The stroller frame 10 can includea plurality of wheels for facilitating transport of a child. Thestroller seat 20 includes a backrest portion 21, a seat portion 23 and apivot joint 30. The backrest portion 21 and the seat portion 23 arepivotally connected with each other via the pivot joint 30, whereby thebackrest portion 21 can rotate relative to the seat portion 23 forfolding and unfolding the stroller seat 20.

In conjunction with FIG. 1, FIGS. 2-14 are various views illustratingconstruction details of the stroller seat 20. Referring to FIGS. 1-14,the stroller seat 20 can be connected with the stroller frame 10 at thepivot joint 30. According to an embodiment, the pivot joint 30 may beconfigured to detachably couple to the stroller frame 10, whereby thestroller seat 20 can be installed on and removed from the stroller frame10 as desired. For example, the stroller frame 10 may include a seatmount 15 that can engage with the pivot joint 30 when the stroller seat20 is installed on the stroller frame 10 and disengage from the pivotjoint 30 when the stroller seat 20 is removed from the stroller frame10. The pivot joint 30 may engage with the seat mount 15 in differentorientations so that the stroller seat 20 can be installed in a forwardfacing position or a rearward facing position on the stroller frame 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the pivot joint 30 can include a first joiningpart 31 fixedly connected with the backrest portion 21, a second joiningpart 32 fixedly connected with the seat portion 23 that is pivotallyconnected with the first joining part 31, and a coupling part 33pivotally connected with the second joining part 32, the second joiningpart 32 being disposed between the first joining part 31 and thecoupling part 33. According to an example of construction, the firstjoining part 31 and the second joining part 32 may be respectivelyfastened to the backrest portion 21 and the seat portion 23. Forexample, the first joining part 31 and the second joining parts 32 mayexemplarily include plastic shells respectively fastened to the backrestportion 21 and the seat portion 23. According to another example ofconstruction, the first joining part 31 and the second joining part 32may be respectively formed integrally with the backrest portion 21 andthe seat portion 23.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling part 33 is adapted to engagewith the seat mount 15 when the stroller seat 20 is assembled with thestroller frame 10 and disengage from the seat mount 15 when the strollerseat 20 is removed from the stroller frame 10. For example, the couplingpart 33 may include a receiving slot 330, and the seat mount 15 mayengage with the receiving slot 330 of the coupling part 33 when thestroller seat 20 is assembled with the stroller frame 10. According toan example of construction, the coupling part 33 may include a plastichousing.

The second joining part 32 is respectively connected pivotally with thefirst joining part 31 and the coupling part 33, whereby the firstjoining part 31 and the coupling part 33 may rotate independently ofeach other relative to the second joining part 32. According to anexample of construction, the second joining part 32 and the couplingpart 33 can be pivotally connected with each other via a pivot axle 36that is eccentric from a pivot axle (not shown) that pivotally connectsthe first joining part 31 with the second joining part 32. It will beappreciated, however, that other placements of the pivot axle 36 may bepossible.

With the aforementioned construction, the backrest portion 21 can rotaterelative to the seat portion 23 and the coupling part 33 for adjustmentof the stroller seat 20 between different configurations. For example,FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate a sitting configuration of use where thebackrest portion 21 is in a first angular position relative to the seatportion 23 suitable for receiving a child in a sitting position. FIGS.15 and 16 illustrate a recumbent configuration of use where the backrestportion 21 is in a second angular position recline rearward relative tothe first angular position for receiving a child lying generallyhorizontally. FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate a folded configuration wherethe backrest portion 21 is in a third angular position folded over theseat portion 23.

Moreover, both the backrest portion 21 and the seat portion 23 canrotate relative to the coupling part 33 for collapsing the foldedstroller seat 20 on the stroller frame 10. For example, the seat portion23 with the backrest portion 21 folded thereon as shown in FIG. 19 canrotate downward as a unit relative to the coupling part 33 toward theinterior of the stroller frame 10 so that the child stroller apparatus100 can be more compact for facilitating storage or transport.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the coupling part 33 can have a limitingslot 333 of an arcuate shape, and the second joining part 32 can befixedly connected with a pin 323 that is restricted to slide along thelimiting slot 333. The limiting slot 333 can thereby delimit an angulardisplacement of the second joining part 32 and the seat portion 23attached thereto relative to the coupling part 33.

Referring to FIGS. 2-14, the pivot joint 30 can include a latch 34operable to lock the second joining part 32 and the seat portion 23attached thereto with respect to the coupling part 33, therebypreventing rotation of the seat portion 23 relative to the coupling part33. According to an example of construction, the latch 34 may be a pinthat can project away from the first joining part 31 and extend betweenthe second joining part 32 and the coupling part 33. The latch 34 can becarried with the second joining part 32, and is movable between alocking position engaged with the coupling part 33 and an unlockingposition disengaged from the coupling part 33. For example, the latch 34can engage with a locking opening 331 (better shown in FIG. 7) providedon an inner side of the coupling part 33 in the locking position, andcan disengage from the locking opening 331 in the unlocking position.The latch 34 can be in the locking position when the stroller seat 20 isin a configuration of use (such as the sitting configuration shown inFIG. 17 or the recumbent configuration shown in FIG. 15), and in theunlocking position when the backrest portion 21 is folded over the seatportion 23 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 19).

The locking position of the latch 34 can prevent rotation of the secondjoining part 32 and the seat portion 23 attached thereto relative to thecoupling part 33, but allow the first joining part 31 to rotate relativeto the second joining part 32 and the coupling part 33 locked to eachother. When the stroller seat 20 is installed on the stroller frame 10with the coupling part 33 engaged with the seat mount 15, the lockingposition of the latch 34 can thus prevent rotation of the backrestportion 21 and the seat portion 23 relative to the stroller frame 10,whereas the backrest portion 21 may be rotated relative to the seatportion 23 and the coupling part 33 for adjustment to a desiredconfiguration of use (such as the sitting configuration shown in FIG. 17or the recumbent configuration shown in FIG. 15).

The latch 34 can be switched from the locking position to the unlockingposition when the backrest portion 21 is folded over the seat portion23, whereby the seat portion 23 and the backrest portion 21 foldedthereon can rotate relative to the coupling part 33 for collapsing thefolded backrest portion 21 and seat portion 23 on the stroller frame 10.

The pivot joint 30 can further include a linking mechanism configured tomovably couple the latch 34 to the first joining part 31 so that arotation of the backrest portion 21 relative to the seat portion 23 in afolding direction causes the latch 34 to disengage from the couplingpart 33, and a rotation of the backrest portion 21 relative to the seatportion 23 in an unfolding direction causes the latch 34 to engage withthe coupling part 33. An example of construction for the linkingmechanism that movably couples the latch 34 to the backrest portion 21is better illustrated in FIGS. 8-14.

Referring to FIGS. 8-14, the linking mechanism can include a drivingpart 35 carried with the second joining part 32. The driving part 35 isconnected with the latch 34 and movably linked to the first joining part31. According to an example of construction, the driving part 35 can befixedly connected with a pin 351 extending through an elongate slot 321(better shown in FIG. 14) provided in the second joining part 32,whereby the driving part 35 can be slidably connected with the secondjoining part 32. The pin 351 is restricted to slide along the elongateslot 321, which can limit a sliding movement of the driving part 35relative to the second joining part 32. Moreover, the pin 351 can havean end portion that is slidably received in a channel 311 provided onthe first joining part 31. According to an example of construction, thechannel 311 of the first joining part 31 can have a generally U-shape orgenerally V-shape. During operation, rotation of the first joining part31 relative to the second joining part 32 can result in the pin 351sliding along the channel 311 relative to the first joining part 31,which causes the driving part 35 to slide relative to the first joiningpart 31 and the second joining part 32. The driving part 35 can bethereby movably coupled to the backrest portion 21, and can slidegenerally parallel to the first joining part 31 and the second joiningpart 32.

Referring to FIGS. 9-14, the driving part 35 can have a cavity 353 forpassage of the latch 34. The latch 34 can be disposed for slidingrelative to the driving part 35 through the cavity 353 along an axis ofmovement Y, which is substantially parallel to the pivot axis defined bythe pivot axle 36 that couples the second joining part 32 to thecoupling part 33. Moreover, the driving part 35 can have a guide slot355 provided on a sidewall of the cavity 353 that is tilted an anglerelative to the axis of movement Y of the latch 34, and the latch 34 canhave a lateral protrusion 341 slidably connected with the guide slot355. According to an example of construction, two guide slots 355 may besymmetrically provided on two opposite sidewalls of the cavity 353, andthe latch 34 can have two lateral protrusions 341 respectively connectedslidably with the two guide slots 355. Owing to the sliding connectionbetween the lateral protrusion 341 and the guide slot 355, the drivingpart 35 is movable to drive the latch 34 to slide along the axis ofmovement Y so that the latch 34 can protrude outside the cavity 353 ofthe driving part 35 for engaging with the coupling part 33 or retracttoward the cavity 353 of the driving part 35 for disengaging from thecoupling part 33.

According to an example of construction, the pivot joint 30 may furtherinclude a metal plate (not shown) affixed to second joining part 32 forreinforcing the connection between the second joining part 32 and thecoupling part 33. The metal plate may be positioned between the secondjoining part 32 and the coupling part 33.

FIGS. 15-20 are various views illustrating the stroller seat 20 indifferent configurations and corresponding states of the latch 34 andthe driving part 35. In use, the latch 34 can be engaged with thecoupling part 33 when the stroller seat 20 installed on the strollerframe 10 is in a configuration of use for receiving a child, e.g., inthe sitting configuration shown in FIG. 17 or the recumbentconfiguration shown in FIG. 15. When the backrest portion 21 is adjustedbetween the different configurations of use (e.g., between the sittingconfiguration shown in FIG. 17 and the recumbent configuration shown inFIG. 15), the pin 351 of the driving part 35 can slide along the channel311 of the coupling part 311, and the latch 34 can remain in the lockingposition engaged with the coupling part 33.

When the backrest portion 21 is folded over the seat portion 23, thedriving part 35 can be driven in movement by the first joining part 31and urge the latch 34 to disengage from the coupling part 33. Forexample, the latch 334 can be disengaged from the coupling part 33 whenthe backrest portion 21 is in the folded configuration shown in FIG. 19.Once the latch 334 is disengaged from the coupling part 33, the backrestportion 21 and the seat portion 23 folded over each other can rotatedownward as a unit relative to the coupling part 33 to a collapseconfiguration, which can displace the latch 34 away from the lockingopening 331 of the coupling part 33. The collapse configuration therebyobtained can provide a compact form for facilitating storage andtransport.

The aforementioned collapse configuration of the stroller seat 20 can beachieved when the stroller seat 20 is installed on the stroller frame 10in a forward facing position or a rearward facing position, and cansimilarly offer a compact form for storage and transport. Moreover, thestroller seat 20 may be folded and collapsed while the stroller frame 10supporting the stroller seat 20 remains in an unfolded state, which canoffer more folding flexibility.

When the stroller seat 20 is unfolded for use, the seat portion 23 canbe reversely rotated relative to the coupling part 33 so that the latch34 becomes aligned with the locking opening 331. Then the backrestportion 21 can be unfolded relative to the seat portion 23, whereby thedriving part 35 can be driven in movement by the first joining part 31and urge the latch 34 to engage with the coupling part 33.

Rather than the linking mechanism described previously, some alternateembodiments may provide an actuating portion (not shown) protrudingoutward from the coupling part 33, wherein the actuating portion isoperable to cause the latch 34 to slide and disengage from the couplingpart 33. According to some other examples of construction, a cable (notshown) may be provided for directly pulling the latch 34 to disengagefrom the coupling part 33.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 9, the pivot joint 30 can further include animpeding part 38 configured to resist against downward rotation of theseat portion 23 relative to the coupling part 33 toward the collapseconfiguration, while the latch 34 is in the unlocking position. Forexample, the impeding part 38 may be carried with the second joiningpart 32, and can engage with the coupling part 33 to resist againstdownward rotation of the seat portion 23 toward the collapseconfiguration. The impeding part 38 is operable independent of the latch34. According to an example of construction, the impeding part 38 may beslidably connected with the second joining part 32, and can be biased bya spring force to engage with a depression 335 (better shown in FIG. 7)provided on the inner side of the coupling part 33. For example, aspring (not shown) connected with the impeding part 38 and the secondjoining part 32 may provide a biasing force that urges the impeding part38 in frictional contact with the depression 335 of the coupling part33.

The impeding part 38 can be engaged with the depression 335 of thecoupling part 33 when the stroller seat 20 is unfolded for receiving achild (e.g., in the sitting configuration shown in FIG. 17 or therecumbent configuration shown in FIG. 15), and can remain in thisengagement state when the backrest portion 21 is folded over the seatportion 23 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 19) and the latch 34 is switched tothe unlocking position. While the latch 34 is in the unlocking position,the engagement of the impeding part 38 with the coupling part 33 mayassist in keeping the seat portion 23 and the backrest portion 21 foldedthereon in position relative to the coupling part 33 against gravityaction.

For collapsing the folded backrest portion 21 and seat portion 23relative to the coupling part 33, a caregiver can apply a downward forceon the backrest portion 21 or the seat portion 23 to overcome theresistance created by the impeding part 38, which can force the impedingpart 38 to retract toward the second joining part 32 and disengage fromthe depression 335 so that the folded backrest portion 21 and seatportion 23 can rotate downward relative to the coupling part 33 to thecollapse configuration. The impeding part 38 can move along with thesecond joining part 32 and can be displaced away from the depression 335as the folded backrest portion 21 and seat portion 23 rotate relative tothe coupling part 33 to the collapse configuration. The stroller seat 20can be thereby collapsed in a controlled manner.

When the stroller seat 20 is unfolded for use, the seat portion 23 canbe reversely rotated relative to the coupling part 33 so that theimpeding part 38 becomes aligned and engages with the depression 335.Then the backrest portion 21 can be unfolded relative to the seatportion 23, whereby the driving part 35 can be driven in movement by thefirst joining part 31 and urge the latch 34 to engage with the couplingpart 33.

Advantages of the child stroller apparatus described herein include theability to fold a stroller seat to a compact form for facilitatingstorage and transport. The stroller seat may be folded and collapsedwhile the stroller frame supporting the stroller seat remains in anunfolded state, which can offer more flexibility. Moreover, the childstroller apparatus may include an impeding part operable to ensure thatthe stroller seat can be collapsed in a controlled manner, whichprovides safer use.

Realization of the child stroller apparatus has been described in thecontext of particular embodiments. These embodiments are meant to beillustrative and not limiting. Many variations, modifications,additions, and improvements are possible. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope ofthe inventions as defined in the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A child stroller apparatus comprising: a strollerframe; a stroller seat supportable by the stroller frame, wherein thestroller seat includes: a backrest portion fixedly connected with afirst joining part; a seat portion fixedly connected with a secondjoining part that is pivotally connected with the first joining part; acoupling part pivotally connected with the second joining part, thecoupling part being adapted to connect with the stroller frame; a latchcarried with the second joining part and movable between a lockingposition where the latch is engaged with the coupling part to preventrotation of the seat portion relative to the coupling part, and anunlocking position where the latch is disengaged from the coupling partfor rotation of the seat portion relative to the coupling part; and alinking mechanism configured to movably couple the latch to the firstjoining part so that a rotation of the backrest portion relative to theseat portion in a folding direction causes the latch to disengage fromthe coupling part, and a rotation of the backrest portion relative tothe seat portion in an unfolding direction causes the latch to engagewith the coupling part.
 2. The child stroller apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the linking mechanism includes a driving part carriedwith the second joining part, the driving part being connected with thelatch and movably linked to the first joining part.
 3. The childstroller apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving part ismovably coupled to the backrest portion and is slidable generallyparallel to the first joining part and the second joining part.
 4. Thechild stroller apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first joiningpart includes a channel, and the driving part is slidably connected withthe second joining part and is fixedly connected with a pin that isslidably received in the channel.
 5. The child stroller apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the channel has a generally U-shape orgenerally V-shape.
 6. The child stroller apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the driving part has a cavity, and the latch is disposed forsliding relative to the driving part through the cavity.
 7. The childstroller apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the driving part has aguide slot provided on a sidewall of the cavity, and the latch has alateral protrusion slidably connected with the guide slot, whereby thedriving part is movable to drive the latch to slide so that the latchprotrudes outside the cavity for engaging with the coupling part orretracts toward the cavity for disengaging from the coupling part. 8.The child stroller apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the latch isengaged with the coupling part when the stroller seat is in aconfiguration of use suitable for receiving a child, and is urged todisengage from the coupling part when the backrest portion is foldedover the seat portion.
 9. The child stroller apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the coupling part has a limiting slot, and the secondjoining part has a pin that is restricted to slide along the limitingslot, thereby delimiting an angular displacement of the seat portionrelative to the coupling part.
 10. The child stroller apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein the limiting slot has an arcuate shape.11. The child stroller apparatus according to claim 1, further includingan impeding part configured to resist against a rotation of the seatportion relative to the coupling part toward a collapse configurationwhile the latch is in the unlocking position.
 12. The child strollerapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the impeding part is carriedwith the second joining part, and is operable to engage with thecoupling part to resist against a rotation of the seat portion towardthe collapse configuration.
 13. The child stroller apparatus accordingto claim 12, wherein the impeding part is engaged with the coupling partwhen the stroller seat is unfolded for receiving a child, and remainsengaged with the coupling part when the backrest portion is folded overthe seat portion and the latch is switched to the unlocking position,the engagement of the impeding part with the coupling part being able toassist in keeping the seat portion and the backrest portion foldedthereon in position against gravity action.
 14. The child strollerapparatus according to claim 12, wherein the impeding part is biased bya spring force to engage with the coupling part.
 15. The child strollerapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stroller seat is detachablyinstallable on the stroller frame.